Late August and early September mark the peak of summer and the peak of the hop harvest season.
Of the four main ingredients in craft beer, none of them boast the rabid following of humulus lupulus, or hops. West Michigan Beer Tours, in collaboration with Hop Head Farms, of Hickory Corners, will offer two unique tours into the exciting season with the Hop Harvest Beer Tour, to be held August 27th and September 3rd.
The Hop Harvest Beer Tour on August 27th will be based out of Grand Rapids, while the September 3rd tour will be based out of Kalamazoo. The tours will escort groups to Hop Head Farms, a 30-acre farm in Hickory Corners outside of Kalamazoo that provides hops for breweries all over the country, as well as internationally. Several Michigan breweries will provide samples of their beer using hops from Hop Head Farms to be tasted as part of the unique tour of the hop fields and processing equipment.
“This is a rare opportunity to get a look into what happens to bring our hops to harvest,” Hop Head Farms co-founder Bonnie Steinman said. “We do not offer public tours during harvest because of the sheer busyness of the time. We have only a few short weeks to get all of the hops down, picked and dried at their peak maturity. Our facility is the only of its kind in the United States — German-engineered and chosen to handle our hops to result in the best end product.”
After the farm visit, the bus will visit breweries that work closely with Hop Head Farms — Founders Brewing Co. and Walldorff Brewpub & Bistro (August 27th) and Territorial Brewing Co. and Tibbs Brewing Co. (September 3rd), respectively.
JW Marriott Grand Rapids is also offering a terrific Beer City USA package for those considering the August 27th tour.
Tickets for the tour are on sale now. They start at $75 and includes samples or a pint at each location. Premium tickets are also available for both tours. For more information, please click on the preferred date below:
August 27th Itinerary (Grand Rapids)
Origination: JW Marriott Grand Rapids, noon 1pm
Stop 1: Hop Head Farms, samples, tour, 2pm to 3:30pm
Stop 2: Walldorff Brewpub & Bistro, pint/samples, tour, 4pm to 5pm
Stop 3: Founders Brewing Co., tour, pint, 6pm to 7:30pm
Termination: JW Marriott, 7:45pm
September 3rd Itinerary (Kalamazoo)
Origination: Shakespeare’s Pub, noon 1pm
Stop 1: Hop Head Farms, samples, tour, 1:30pm to 3pm
Stop 2: Territorial Brewing Co., meet-and-greet, samples,
3:30pm to 4:30pm
Stop 3: Tibbs Brewing Co., tour, samples or pint, 5pm to 6pm
Termination: Shakespeare’s Pub, 6:15pm
For more info, contact john@westmibeertours.com or call 269.205.4894.
